Chelsea target flattered by the interest shown by the Blues

Vitesse Arnhem midfielder Marco Van Ginkel is a reported target for new Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho this summer and the Netherlands under-21 international has admitted he is flattered by the interest.

“I am not thinking about it right now, but I am really flattered by their interest”, van Ginkel told Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad.

The 20-year-old has been with his current club since the age of eight and has played 93 times for the side since breaking into the senior squad in July 2010 – scoring 18 goals in the process.

This season Van Ginkel has been in sparkling form, making 40 appearances in all competitions and netting 14 times as well as providing 12 assists.

The midfielder played in all but one of Vitesse’s league matches as they finished an impressive fourth in the Eredivisie.

Van Ginkel has also been a regular feature in the under-21 squad for the Netherlands, playing 16 matches and scoring three times – with the Dutchman currently at the European Championships in Israel.

The performances of the youngster also earned him a call-up to the senior squad for his nation, making his debut against Germany in the midfielder’s one and only appearance to date at the Amsterdam Arena.

Whether Van Ginkel would be prepared to actually move to Stamford Bridge is another matter, as Chelsea are beginning to earn a reputation of buying up young talent and then never fielding them.

Belgian starlets Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku were signed by the Blues for a combined total of £34.3m and yet all three spent the 2012/13 campaign away on-loan.

Likewise FC Nordsjaelland defender Jores Okore has revealed that he did not move to west London for fear of not getting first team football.